Method for producing a solid body including a microstructure

1. Method for producing a solid body including a microstructure, wherein the surface of a substrate is provided with a masking layer which is impermeable to a substance to be applied, and the substance is subsequently incorporated into substrate regions not covered by the masking layer, the method comprising the steps of: heat treating a substrate region covered by the masking layer to diffuse the incorporated substance in the substrate region covered by the masking layer, such that a concentration gradient of the substance is created, proceeding from the edge of the masking layer inward with increasing distance from the edge, in the substrate region covered by the masking layer; removing the masking layer to expose the substrate region below it; converting a layer of the substrate near the surface in the exposed substrate region by a chemical conversion reaction into a coating with a layer thickness profile corresponding to the concentration gradient of the substance contained in this near-surface layer; treating a subsection of the coating, the surface of which is smaller than the substrate surface covered by the original masking layer, and in which the thickness of the coating is reduced relative to the remaining subsections of the coating, in which treatment the substrate region covered by this subsection is exposed to provide an exposed subsection, and/or a material is incorporated into this substrate region through the coating, where during the removal of the masking layer, the substrate regions laterally adjacent to the masking layer are covered by an etching mask, and the masking layer is then contacted with an etching agent, and where a metallic layer is applied over the exposed subsection, and that the adhesive properties of the substrate material and of the coating are matched to the material of the surface layer such that the metallic layer adheres only to the exposed subsection of the substrate region.

2. The method of claim 1 , where the etching mask is created by a chemical reaction in which a near-surface layer of the substrate regions to be covered by the etching mask is converted to an etching mask material.

3. The method of claim 2 , where the etching mask is created during the heat treatment by thermal oxidation of the substrate material in an oxygen-containing atmosphere.

4. The method of claim 3 , where the chemical conversion reaction is an oxidation reaction.

5. The method of claim 4 , where the substrate region in which the masking layer has been removed, the near-surface layer of the substrate is converted by a chemical conversion reaction into an electrically insulating coating; and that, after the regional removal of the coating, the metal coating is electrolytically deposited on the exposed surface of the electrically conductive substrate region.

6. The method of claim 5 , where the near-surface layer of the substrate is converted by a chemical conversion reaction to a coating which is impermeable to a chemical layer to be applied.

7. The method of claim 6 , where the solid body is contacted by a medium, and that substrate material present in the exposed substrate region is converted by a chemical reaction with this medium into another material.

8. The method of claim 7 , where after exposing the substrate region, the substrate region is contacted with an etching agent for the substrate material, to which the coating surrounding the substrate region is essentially chemically resistant, in order to insert a depression into the substrate region.

9. A method for producing a solid body including a semiconductor element, comprising: depositing a passivation layer on a surface of a semiconductor substrate; forming an opening in the passivation layer such that a section of the substrate surface is exposed; forming a silicon nitride layer on the section and etching portions of the silicon nitride layer to form a masking layer on a subsection of the section of the substrate surface, where the subsection is spaced laterally within the opening from sidewalls of the passivation layer; doping the substrate with a substance to form doping zones within the substrate, where the masking layer is impermeable to the substance; heat treating the semiconductor substrate to diffuse the substance within the doping zones into a substrate region that underlies the masking layer and is between the doping zones; forming oxide layers over regions of the substrate between the sidewalls of the passivation layer and not covered by the masking layer; removing the masking layer to provide an exposed substrate region; forming a silicon dioxide coating over the exposed substrate region, where the thickness of the silicon dioxide coating decreases towards the center of the exposed substrate region; applying an etching agent to remove the silicon dioxide coating in a center region of the exposed substrate region, where the center region is smaller than the area covered by the masking layer; and electrodepositing a metal layer over the center region.

10. The method of claim 9 , where the step of electrodepositing comprises a currentless technique.

11. The method of claim 9 , where the substance comprises boron.

12. The method of claim 9 , where the substance comprises phosphorus.

13. The method of claim 9 , where upon completion of said step of heating there is a decrease in the concentration of the substance in the coverage plane of the doping regions, proceeding from the masking layer into the substrate region covered by the masking layer and with increasing distance from the edge of the masking layer.

14. A method for producing a solid body including a semiconductor element, comprising: depositing a passivation layer on a surface of a semiconductor substrate; forming an opening in the passivation layer such that a section of the substrate surface is exposed; forming a silicon nitride layer on the section and removing portions of the silicon nitride layer to form a masking layer on a subsection of the section of the substrate surface, where the subsection is spaced laterally within the opening from sidewalls of the passivation layer; doping the substrate with a dopant to form doping zones within the substrate, where the masking layer is impermeable to the dopant; heat treating the semiconductor substrate in an oxygen environment to diffuse the substance within the doping zones into a substrate region that underlies the masking layer and is between the doping zones, and form oxide layers over regions of the substrate between the sidewalls of the passivation layer and not covered by the masking layer; removing the masking layer to provide an exposed substrate region; forming a silicon dioxide coating over the exposed substrate region, where the thickness of the silicon dioxide coating decreases towards the center of the exposed substrate region; removing the silicon dioxide coating in a center region of the exposed substrate region, where the center region is smaller than the area covered by the masking layer; and electrolytically depositing a metal layer over the center region.